Many telephone networks have a large number of telephones which are hardwired into the network and which have private access to the network from fixed locations. This requires providing access to the network by using dedicated circuits, such as business telephones through a PBX, and the like.
With the ever-growing demand for mobility, one problem associated with such type of operation is how to provide mobile persons with convenient and inexpensive access to telephone networks. These persons generally have a choice between locating a private-access business or home telephone, or a public-access payphone, which can be inconvenient, and using cellular telephone service, which provides a solution to the mobility problem but can be expensive.
Other problems, which may be associated with mobile persons who frequently access wireline telephone networks, exist such as the need for rerouting calls received at the addressee's fixed location while he/she is away from that location. Another typical problem that arises in certain organizations, is, calls that are made to communicate with a function in the organization rather than a specific person, i.e. a customer service person, marketing person, sales person etc. If a person originating the call dials the number given to them and the addressee is away, then either the caller will give up and call another organization or the caller may choose to leave a message. If the caller chooses to leave a message, there is no way of telling when this message will be heard and acted upon. One method of wireless contact between a plurality of user stations is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,672,658. While the system shown therein may achieve the goal of operating a wireless PBX, it is subject to the drawback that it requires complex and relatively expensive user stations, and may not be smoothly integrated into a system for access to telephone networks.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,405,033 discloses a system for routing a call using a communications network, where the system includes mobile units, a network switching center, and service centers to provide a variety of traditional and enhanced services to the mobile units. When a user of a mobile unit issues a request for services to be provided from a service center, the network switching center receives the request and, in response, accesses a profile table to select an appropriate service center to establish a communication session with the mobile unit. The selected service center may then provide enhanced services to the mobile unit in order to satisfy the service request.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,771,953 describes provisioning of a wireless Centrex®-like service that offers the benefits of wireless voice and data services to subscribers having a need to move within a number of localities such as within a business campus. By the method described in this publication, a wireless telephone subscriber can use a standard cellular telephone as a wireless extension of his desktop phone, while being in the proximity of a miniature radio base station capable of communicating with the cellular telephone. Under these conditions, the subscriber can use the same cellular telephone that provides service in the public network, in the wireless Centrex environment.
US application publication 20030193990 discloses a system for accessing a telephone system, in which a set of user stations is matched with a set of base stations for connection to a telephone network. Each base station may be coupled directly or indirectly to the telephone network and is capable of initiating or receiving calls on the telephone network. Each user station may comprise a spread-spectrum transmitter or receiver and may be capable of dynamic connection to selected base stations. A number of base stations are coupled to a private exchange telephone system for coupling user stations to calls outside the telephone network. User stations may make and break connections with base stations as the user station moves between service regions, or is otherwise more advantageously serviced by other base stations. Base stations may be coupled to each other by means of a private exchange telephone system or other small business telephone system (such as a PBX, Centrex, or key-type system) so as to couple user stations to calls outside the telephone network.
Calls sent to wireless subscribers lack important information about the callers, calls and tasks related to a call. When a call is received by a subscriber, the subscriber usually needs to converse with the caller before the caller can be forwarded to another destination. During the call if information about the caller was displayed in the device, the display will be lost. Also calls forwarded to another party may lose the information about the caller in the new destination device. When conference calls are to be established, the called party may have information about the original caller only after a voice path is created. Inventive aspects disclosed herein will allow parties of incoming calls such as operators, secretaries, employees, conference call establishments, to obtain information about the caller, call, tasks related to call or other information before and during voice path establishment. Other inventive aspects will also automatically provide the status of device availability to another device.
Each of these patents and application is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.